Congratulations to the heroic people of Ukraine on last weekend’s 34th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet Union.

I was honoured to attend their regular demonstration and vigil outside the Russian Embassy and say a few words. Ukraine is fighting the West’s fight with very little help from its Western allies. Australia should provide five times as much money and arms as we do at present.

I felt sad to see that there were only about 40 demonstrators at the Canberra rally, and whilst the Sydney one was larger, the crowds were nothing like the several hundred thousand people across Australia who turned up to the pro-Palestinian, and thus effectively pro-Hamas, demonstrations.

In Ukraine’s case, the issue is very simple: a big, bad bully of a neighbour invaded a small sovereign state it had guaranteed to leave alone — indiscriminately killing whoever got in the way, taking more than 20,000 babies and small children to Russia to turn into “good little Russians,” and showing no compulsion about indiscriminate killing. There are no rules of engagement as far as the Russians are concerned, and they appear once again to have the support of Donald (Neville Chamberlain) Trump. God only knows what Putin has over him, or has Trump simply drunk the same Kool-Aid as our pro-Palestinian demonstrators?

Sadly, despite their fine words, the weak Western European countries — the UK, France, and Germany — do not have the military strength or moral fortitude to arm and fully support Ukraine properly. Only Germany, if it lifts its game, has the strength to do so. Interestingly, Germany is not calling for a premature recognition of the non-existent state of Palestine. Maybe there is some hope yet for us all.

President Zelenskyy should not be intimidated by Trump. The man is a bully, and the heroic Zelenskyy should remember (as I think he does) what happened at Munich in 1938.

There, the gutless British and French sold the strong Czechoslovak state down the drain. They should not have done so, as the German army itself believed it could not break through the strong fortifications in the Sudetenland. If the “allies” had stood firm, the German army would likely have removed Hitler.

Instead, as a result of the cowardly British and French appeasers, the Sudetenland was handed to Germany in exchange for a useless guarantee of peace — which Hitler tore up in March 1939 when he invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.

There are two very strong towns in the western Donbass still in Ukrainian hands, and they have resisted every attempt by Russia to take them. These towns are key to the defence of Ukraine. The Ukrainians should not give up any territory in exchange for a flawed “peace” process. Perhaps Crimea could be on the table — but nothing more.

Churchill once said that countries that meekly surrender disappear from history. Countries that go down fighting always tend to rise up again – just look at Poland!

Volodymyr, tell Donald to “F… off” and go it alone if you have to. If you do, Trump will go down in history (despite whatever else he may do right) as an appeaser on par with Neville Chamberlain – and at least Chamberlain had manners and was a gentleman!